How to Make Social Media Work for You: Part 1

social media

Social media seems like such a small part of a firm’s identity but it really does say more about the business than one would think. Social media is a part of everyday life in the twenty-first century; it’s an essential tool in growing your business and growing the relationship your business has with its clients. No matter what industry you’re in or how big your business is, social media can have a serious impact on your client-reach. Over the next three weeks I’m going to discuss social media’s relevancy in the accounting industry, how to build a social media strategy and how social media can make or break your firm.

The word I want to focus on today is going to be ‘relationships.’ Any business, no matter the industry, has to focus on building and maintaining a relationship with their clients or customers. The closer the relationship, the more your customer identifies with not only your product, but with you. In accounting, whether you’re a one-person firm or one of many accountants on staff at a business, trust is critical between you and your client. There’s many ways you can build this trust and social media is certainly one way that has the potential to significantly improve the relationship between you and your clients.

Social media is just that… a media platform that is meant to be social. Social, in the sense of a community. A community that people interact with every single day. You can watch a TV commercial or see a magazine ad, both other media platforms, but these do not offer the social aspect. Social media offers the unique ability to connect with other businesses and colleagues as well as people interested in your business. That social aspect allows a business to be seen as an approachable party. Being approachable is the first step in building that trust. Clients want to know they can reach you with questions. They want to see you interact with others. Before they invest themselves and their money into a business or person that will directly have access to most of (if not all of) their personal information and their finances, people have to be able to trust their needs will be met, questions answered and information protected.

Accounting is one of the few industries that directly deals with people’s hard-earned money. From how to take care of it, invest it, pay taxes on it, to allotting it for expenses among countless other reasons. Being on social media and allowing your clients and potential clients to see your interactions with others, how often you’re updating your social media accounts and websites, your response times, ratings, compliments and complaints allow potential clients to get to know you on another level.

Having a current, up-to-date set of social media accounts and a polished look to all accounts that mirror your website and services, shows your clients that you are on top of every detail, no matter how small. Demonstrating that sense of responsibility, attention to detail and general effort in communicating with your clients will build trust and will give people another reason to hire you as their accountant.

For more tips on social media management, content sharing and media strategies, follow Mollie Macklin on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.